Gold Sutra Container Inlaid with Pearls and Gemstones
The Gold Sutra Container Inlaid with Pearls and Gemstones dates back to Emperor Qianlong's reign of the Qing Dynasty. First, the craftsman made a rectangular box with gold and then inlaid it with pearls, rubies, lapis lazuli, and other gemstones to demonstrate a sense of imperial dignity. Opening the lid of the box reveals a painting of Sakyamuni and his two disciples, which features bright colors and vivid depiction. The painting was created by a royal painter.
As its name suggests, a sutra container was used to contain Buddhist scriptures. Stored in this sutra container is a Manchu version of The Great Compassion Sutra using fold bindings, which originated from the binding method for ancient Indian Buddhist scriptures written in Sanskrit on palm leaves bound with ropes and using two wooden plates as covers. As early as the Five Dynasties period (907-960), books using a similar binding method had appeared in China. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, the method evolved: Palm leaves were replaced by paper, but the elongated and narrow shape was retained. Instead of piercing holes on the pages to tether them together with a rope, several pages were stacked together and directly clamped between two wooden plates, and then tied with cloth tapes or packed in boxes.
The sutra stored in the container, its original text from ancient India, is written in the Manchu language, reflecting the inclusive attitude of the High Qing era towards exotic cultures and beliefs.
金嵌珍珠寶石藏經匣
金嵌珍珠寶石藏經匣，清乾隆年間制作。先以黃金做出形狀扁長的匣子，匣體使用宮廷的金嵌珍珠寶石工藝制作，鑲嵌上珍珠、紅寶石、青金石等，顯示出皇家的富貴之氣。打開匣蓋，內側彩繪有釋迦牟尼佛與二弟子圖，色澤鮮艷，細節生動，為宮中畫師所繪。
“藏經匣”顧名思義，專用于存放佛經。此件藏經匣中存放著滿文《大悲正經》，為梵夾裝。“梵夾裝”原指古印度把寫在貝多羅樹葉上的梵文佛經穿繩相連，再用兩木板相夾的裝幀形式。五代時期，中國已有與此類似的裝幀形式出現。到明清時有所演變，書寫材料從貝葉變成紙張，但仍保留狹長的形狀；頁與頁之間不再穿洞系繩，而是數頁集為一沓，直接用兩塊木板上下相夾，再用布帶捆扎或用匣盒盛裝。
這件藏經匣中，經書內容來自印度，用滿文書寫，反映了清朝包容不同文化信仰的態度。
